The Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX)

This photograph shows the Atacama Pathfinder Experiment (APEX), on the 5000-metre altitude plateau of Chajnantor in the Chilean Andes. The plane of our galaxy — the Milky Way — can be seen in the sky looking like a band of faint, glowing clouds. To the left of APEX is the central region of the Milky Way, where a supermassive black hole lurks at the core of our galaxy.

APEX is a collaboration between the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR), the Onsala Space Observatory (OSO) and ESO. Operation of APEX at Chajnantor is entrusted to ESO.